Law Society highlight deep concerns in responses to Scottish Government's Not Proven Consultation

The Scottish Government has today, 12 July 2022, published its independent analysis and responses to its not proven Consultation .

Stuart Munro, Convener of the Law Society of Scotland’s Criminal Law Committee, said: “It is striking that such a fundamental change as abolishing Scotland’s long-standing three verdicts has provoked such a wide range of views and some deep concerns from those with the greatest understanding of our justice system. It underlines the care which the Scottish Government will need to take if it is going to move forward with removing the not-proven verdict.

“However, at a time when we have a huge backlog in court cases and a crisis in legal aid which risks leaving the most vulnerable in our society without the legal help they need, there is a serious question over whether changing Scotland’s verdicts system is a priority for Ministers to be focusing on.”

Find out more and read our response to the Scottish Government's not proven verdict and related reforms consultation.